Testing the Argentina primers

[Tomme boy]

Went out this weekend several times testing these primers. I was having 3-4 in every mag that did not fire in my Ruger Security 380. I tried multiple strikes to get them to go off but they would not.

So.... I took these home and was looking them over. They looked like they were seated deep enough. I could find no high ones. I forgot I had a primer seater for the old Pacific press I had. It can be adjusted to seat the primer deeper by screwing it out. I pulled 3 of the ones apart that did not fire. I then tried to seat the primer a little deeper. They all 3 fired in the 380.

I had 200 cases that were primed already as I was testing these to see how they shot. I took 5 cases that had not been struck and reseated the primers in them. All 5 fired perfect.

I think these primers just need to be crushed a little more to get closer to the anvil in the primer to make them more sensitive. I have not checked firing pin protrusion on any of the guns I shot these in but I am guessing the Ruger may be on the short side. But get this. They also fired fine in the LCP 380. NO duds in that gun. That was the gun I thought was the one that may have an issue. The AR9 fires everything. The hammer hits that primer so hard you think it was you punching the drunk that just grabbed your old ladies butt.

I loaded the rest of the 200 up after I seated all the primers a little more. Going to try to get out in the next couple of days to try them. I might just not use them in the 380. I have plenty of other primers for that. They all seem good in the 9mm and 38 spec.

 

[Missionary]

So could you have a brass issue ?
Such as the primer pockets are a bit deep ?
I was always under the impression that primers are to be seated below the level of the case head. Seems the old Speer Book I started with stated the primer should be bottomed out in the primmer hole.

 

[Tomme boy]

I am using mixed brass, sooooo???? Some people are saying it was primers from the first batch that got wet in shipping. But I don't believe that. These are from NormaShooting. They are the importer for Norma ammo so I figure that first batch is long gone as it was about a year ago they reported it.

A few people I have talked to think the same thing as me that they need a little more crush

 

[Jeff H]

Great intel, @Tomme boy .

Thanks for taking the time to share your experience/observations.

 

[Tomme boy]

I made it to the range today again. Shot 50 rds and had 1 that did not fire. This was in the Ruger 380. I am thinking the pin may be on the short side. All of these were seated well below flush. The one that would not fire in the 380 Security did fire in the 380 lcp. They are both hammer fired.

I am going to just use these for the 38/357. Once I use up the 380 that is already primed with these I will not use them anymore. I will say, I have never had a Win, CCI, Federal primer not fire. These have been my first primers with this issue. I will not buy any more of these unless they get way cheaper than what they are.

 

[Missionary]

A short pin will sure do that to ya.
Maybe some "build up" (crud in my cannons) got into the pin channel and is causing the misery.

 

[dannyd]

I am happy with the SA's, 7,700 used this year. I have had Winchester's and CCI's FTF along with couple SA's. But never had enough to madder over the years. As of last night.

 

[Winelover]

Went out back and did some shooting/testing with the Argentine primers, this AM, before the rain cometh. The delivery system was the newly purchased Henry Homesteader 9 mm carbine. All targets shot from 60 yards, seated with a camera tripod for a front rest. This particular load was worked up in Blazer yellow brass, which is my preference. The test was to see how the load printed with Federal yellow brass versus R/P yellow brass. The other factor was to see how the Argentine primers made out compared to the CCI 500 small pistol primers, all things being equal.





The Argentine primers out performed the CCI 500's in the Federal yellow brass. The flyers on each target are a result of inadvertent double taps.






By contrast, the R/P yellow brass didn't like the Argentine primers, at all. CCI 500's did much better in the R/P yellow brass.





These are the older bricks of primers in the green & yellow packaging. I do have bricks in the newer white & black packaging. Haven't used any of those yet. All the Argentine primers went bang, no FTF or FTE. This was my first attempt to use them in anything other than a revolver.

 

[dannyd]

Over 12,100, there still going bang.

 

[Tomme boy]

I am finding a few with no anvils on the lastest brick. But they still will not work in the ruger 380. Everything else has been good except when i miss a missing anvil.